Maternity garment



Sept. 9, 1941. G, COHN MATERNITY GARMENT Filed Feb. 6. 1940 PatentedSept. 9, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,255,697 MATERNITY GARMEN'rGoldie Cohn, Dallas, Tex. Application February 6, 1940, Serial No.317,592 y 3 Claims.

This invention relates generally to the class of garments and pertainsparticularly to improvements in skirts or dresses.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a novel andimproved maternity skirt which is designed in such manner that the waistportion may be adjusted for size to take care of changes in the form ofthe body of the wearer and the lower portion or lower edge of the skirtkept at the proper height or caused to maintain its proper hang insteadof being pulled up in the front, as would be the case if a skirt ofordinary design were worn.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved maternityskirt or dress which includes an adjustable front panel portion, theposition of which may be changed with respect to the skirt proper as theform of the wearer changes without altering the set or hang of the majorportion of the skirt.

A further object of the invention is to provide a maternity skirt ordress wherein the abdomen covering portion of the same is provided withan opening, the size of which may be altered as necessary, and a panelportion adjustably secured within the skirt and overlying said openingto appear from the exterior to be a permanent inset part of the skirtand functioning to allow for changes in the size and contour of the gurewithout causing the body of the skirt proper to be pulled out of shapeor made to lose its proper hang on the gure.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of thefollowing detailed description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawing forming part of this specication, with the understanding,however, that the invention is not to be confined to any strictconformity with thel showing of the drawing but may be changed ormodified so long as such changes or modications mark no materialdeparture from the salient features of the invention as expressed in theappended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 illustrates in front elevation a skirt constructed in accordancewith the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the skirt shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a view illustrating the application of the garment.

Referring now more specifically to the drawing,

lower portion of a dress. Inaccordance with the present invention, suchskirt or dress portion is provided in the front, in the area'coveringthe abdomen of the wearer, with an opening 2, the upper part of which isconnected through the top edge of the skirt with the vertical open area3, thereby forming across the front of the skirt above the large opening2, the two belt sections 4 which when drawn together or moved apart,allow for contraction or expansion of the waist measurement of theskirt.

The opposing edges of the short belt portions 4 are indicated by thevnumerals 5 and means is provided for connecting such edges together inan adjustable manner so that the opposing ends of the belt portions canbe drawn together or let out as necessity may require. Such connectingmeans between these edges of the belt portions is here shown as being inthe form of a pair of straps 6, each connected at one end to an edge 5,one strap adjacent the top of the skirt and the other adjacent the lowerpart of the belt section, and, opposite the straps, the short tabs 'ljoined to the opposite edge 5 and each carrying a buckle 8 through whichthe adjacent strap 6 may be passed. It will, of course, be apparent thatany other suitable means may be employed for joining together theOpposing edges or ends of the short belt portions 4.

Within the skirt there is disposed a relatively large piece of materialin the form of an apron panel indicated by the numeral 9. This apron is,as stated, relatively long and wide to fully cover the opening 2 and thearea 3 between the short belt portions and is, as will be readily seen,disposed within the skirt between the body of the wearer and the opening2, thus effectively covering the openings 2 and 3 and appearing, whenbeing worn, as a iiXed inset panel of material. Each side edge of theapron panel 9 has secured thereto at the top of the panel, a strap l0and secured to the inner side of the skirt adjacent the top edge andover each hip portion, is a buckle l I with which a strap l0 isconnected.

With the construction described, it will be readily apparent that whenthe skirt or dress is in use, the hip and waist measurement of the samemay be gradually increased as becomes necessary, by loosening theconnecting straps 6 in the buckles 8, and as the front of the figureincreases in size, the forward bulge which would ordinarily be given tothe front part of the skirt will be taken care of by the apron panel andthe front opening which the panel covers, and in the numeral I generallydesignates a skirt or the this wat7 110 distortion O the upper Part ofthe skirt proper occurs and consequently the lower edge of the skirtWill not be lifted from its proper height as would be the case if suchan arrangement were not provided. Naturally as the chang- Ving form ofthe figure requires the enlargement 2. A maternity garment, comprising askirt having a front opening extending from the waist downwardly to anextent to terminate adjacent the lower part of the abdomen vof thewearer and the opening being of a width in the lower portion thereofequaling the major portion of the Width of the abdomen, means foradjustably connecting the edges yof the opening at the waistline to varythe size of the latter, an apron-like member overlying and having a sizeto more than cover the entire opening, vand means attaching said memberto the skirt at the Waistline only, the member hanging freely formovement independently of the skirt.

of the skirt having an opening over and of af size to take in a majorportion of the abdominal area, the lower edge of the opening beingcurved" l 3. A maternity garment, comprising a skirt, means forfacilitating changing the waist size of take in substantially the entireabdominal area, and a panel member within the skirt over and of a size"tocover said opening and attached'at its top edge only to the .skirtYabove the opening and suspended freely from the skirt over the openingto have movement independently of the skirt.

I GOLDIE COHN.

